MercadoLibre identity validation

[gringoexpress]

Sent email to shareholder relations and, as expected, received non-response.

the existential purpose of mercardolibre isn't to make buying things online easier, it's to make it easier to cut you off from being able to buy or sell if you don't follow someone's rules. in other words, your opinion doesn't matter. clearly, a lot of people are having problems with this and it's happened in multiple countries, it should be a rather simple "oversight" to fix, not to mention they really don't need to verify anything if you're paying with a payment method that can't be reversed.

to add something constructive, i don't know how hard registering a business is in argentina (guess i'll learn!) but opening a persona juridica account on mercadolibre allowed me to bypass all this crap in Brazil, and if I remember right the same trick worked in Colombia when they restricted my personal account for buying too much stuff before i learned to buy the minimum possible through the platform and then deal directly with the seller. If you're that much in need of their services a similar trick might work, and then you don't have to waste hours adjusting your passport to sit just right on your head like a pirate hat while you count backwards from 20 on video or whatever ridiculous hoops they're making you jump through.

 

[Moe]

how did you manage to get a hold of them to tell them how you feel? blocking me from contacting customer service was the first thing they did to me. they pulled the same stunt on me in brazil during the middle of the pandemic, insisted my ID number was invalid, and made quite certain there was no way to get a hold of anyone (i did eventually manage but I can't remember how and it did no good). i was unable to get my hands on some very important items for my family while the stores were closed, and I will never forgive them. I only use their site to find specialty items then look up the name of the seller and order direct. I'm moving to Argentina very soon and it looks like I will be continuing to not use mercadolibre if in any way possible because of this mark-of-the-beast cut you off from buying anything KYC crap.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is never having to use Uber again. They have a monopoly where I currently live in Brazil and love blocking your account and demanding random documents when you're trying to get home from the bar in the rain at 2am.

Thank God there's taxis in Buenos Aires.

No taxis in Brazil?

 

[carride]

Thanks for your suggestions.
I have a Fujitsu notebook that is ten years old and an ENACOM tablet (free from the city), but facial recognition didn't work on either one after many attempts.
I even tried the facial recognition wearing a black wig. No luck. Everybody changes after ten years.
I had lengthy written discussions with Mercado Pago personnel and that didn't solve the problem.

It was nice using a debit card to pay for all my food purchases on MercadoLibre and MercadoPago, but now I'll be paying with dirty bills.
I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who had problems.

There are other platforms that sellers use when they do not want ML, though also who do not want to build their entire website. TiendaNube is the biggest platform. It is like Shopify in USA and Canada. There is no good single directory listing all websites which use TN, but if you search for the product you are looking for, look at the bottom of the page to see if it says tiendanube instead of mercadoshops. Over time you will recognize the common design feel of those sites. Many are small independents who would rather create a nice looking custom site instead of getting lost in the mercadolibre jungle. You can use all the same payment methods, plus no DNI required if you are a tourist and list your billing address of your CC from another country.

20 tiendas online argentinas creadas con Tiendanube

 

[gringoexpress]

No taxis in Brazil?

not on the island where I live. There's a handful downtown but they won't pick you up from anywhere you actually go because there's too much traffic. one usually ends up walking for miles or hitchhiking or waving a massive amount of cash in the fact of any driver you see dropping anyone off to convince them to cancel the ride they were going to accept. you have no idea how excited i am to be living in civilization again in Buenos Aires. Things seem functional in comparison, aside from the money issue.

 

[jantango]

Per ML website....using your notebook:

Ingresá tu e‑mail, teléfono o usuario de Mercado Libre

auth-identity.mercadolibre.com.ar

We need photos of your DNI to validate your identity. Upload up to 50 MB per file and in .jpg, .jpeg, or .png format.
Drag or attach a photo of the front and back of your DNI card.

The instructions say "have your DNI handy" and then "don't wear glasses or a mask." So which do they want for identity validation? an old DNI photo or one taken online? I've tried dozens of times with both options and neither one works. I'd like to know the national regulation that requires identity validation. How do they know that I am that person just because I send a photo?

Perhaps it has already been suggested, have you considered getting a new DNI card?

That's what I would do, especially if it meant handling a lot less filthy currency.

Yes, I have considered getting a new DNI, if only to update the photo for this purpose. I present the DNI for purchases and no one has questioned if I am the same person on the card. Somehow they all think I look the same with short dark hair and longer white hair.
I withdrew a large amount of pesos yesterday at the bank so I'm prepared with dirty currency for food deliveries. My Visa debit card works at the teller station, but not at the bank's ATM. Why? LOL. I'll be calling VISA to figure that one out.

 

[jantango]

I decided to get a new DNI and see if I can validate my identity with a current photo. It's simple to get a turno online and at a convenient location of your choice. It was confirmed with two emails for tomorrow at 13,30 h. The cost is $300.

Vacaciones 2023: cuál es el costo de renovar DNI y pasaporte para poder viajar

Miles de argentinos se disponen a salir de vacaciones durante la temporada 2023 pero hay que considerar los costos de renovar los documentos

www.cronista.com

 

[jantango]

I had an appointment today at a place only four blocks from my apartment. Checked in and waited only a few minutes until my name appeared on the screen telling me to go to a certain desk. The woman filed out the form with all my information and said there was no charge*. Then I went to another desk where my information was confirmed, my thumb prints were taken, and then my photo.

I will have the DNI in a couple of weeks and see whether I can validate my identity.

*seniors over 70 are not required to renew their DNI. If they do, there is no charge.

 

[Girino]

@jantango, was your DNI close to expiration date or can anybody do this regardless of the expiration date? I have a terrible picture on my DNI and I'd like to have it changed. However, I was told I needed to make a denuncia at the police station making up that I had lost my DNI card etc. and it seems a little drastic to me.

 

[jantango]

My DNI doesn't expire until August 2028. I said I wanted a new one with a new photo. No problem. I also had to sign my signature for the new card. They don't just make a new copy of the old DNI with a new photo.

The new card will be delivered in a couple of weeks. I'll keep the old one as a souvenir.

Everything about us is in the system. The woman asked me for a cell number. I refuse to use a cellphone. The man who took the photo mentioned that another photo of me was in the system, the one taken for my Argentine passport.

 

[Girino]

My DNI doesn't expire until August 2028. I said I wanted a new one with a new photo. No problem. I also had to sign my signature for the new card. They don't just make a new copy of the old DNI with a new photo.

FANTASTIC to hear. Thank you so much for sharing.